Rory McIlroy wavers under pressure in Turkey, worries about Tiger Woods’ future

Rory McIlroy conceded on Sunday that the pressure of being in contention for his first win since before he banged up his ankle got to him as he faltered down the stretch of last week’s Turkish Airlines Open.

The ex-world No. 1 also commiserated with another formerly top-ranked golfer, Tiger Woods, who’s making headlines as much from sick bay as if he were back to winning golf tournaments. McIlroy took time out over the weekend to share his fears for the future of his Nike stablemate, who remains bed-ridden after undergoing yet another operation on his back, the third in almost two years.

Woods, who will turn 40 in December, had a “follow-up procedure” on Oct. 28 to his second microdiscectomy, which took place a month and a half earlier. In announcing he was back on the DL, the 14-time major winner who struggled through two consecutive lost seasons on the PGA Tour said he remained optimistic that he would once again compete at some unknown future date with the best young golfers in the world.

McIlroy hoped Woods, currently 362nd in the world, was right but he worried more for his friend’s general health than whatever his future career might hold.

“It looks like it’s a long road to recovery for him. Just hope he gets better, not just to play golf, but just for sort of everyday life, being able to do everyday things more than anything else,” McIlroy said on Saturday, after firing his third straight 5-under 67. “I guess that’s his third back surgery in a year and a half. Like someone once said, the best way to avoid your fifth back surgery is to avoid the first one. But it’s a procedure he needed. I mean, it’s tough. I just hope he gets better.”

Still the tour’s top news maker despite his injury-plagued last couple of years and increasing irrelevance inside the ropes, Woods is the subject of a controversial new book from his ex-caddie Steve Williams, who excoriates his former boss in an autobiography scheduled for release on Monday.

McIlroy acknowledged that the game may not need the man who “spearheaded our sport for so long” as much as it once did, what with his blossoming rivalries with Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, newly crowned CIMB Classic champ Justin Thomas and other youngsters who idolized Woods.

“He’s missed by the game of golf in general,” said McIlroy, who thought back to yesteryear when he added that players did not miss “being beaten by [Tiger] every week.

“But the game of golf,” he noted, “I’m not saying it needs him but he definitely came along at the right time and did a lot for the game.”

As for McIlroy’s game at the minute, he could sure use some of Tiger’s erstwhile steely nerves to come along about now. Just one shot off the pace of 54-hole co-leaders Victor Dubuisson and Jaco Van Zyl, the winner of four major titles finished with a 71, six shots back and in a tie for sixth place.

Among other issues, McIlroy blamed the tension of chasing the leaders for his final-round letdown.

“It’s always good to test yourself under pressure and in contention. My game didn’t hold up as well as I wanted it to today. Next week’s another opportunity to get myself into the mix again and see if I can handle it a bit better,” said McIlroy, who’s on to the WGC-HSBC Champions event that kicks off on Thursday.

“It’s just more of just trying to get myself into these positions and just try to handle them better,” explained McIlroy, who won twice before tearing up his ankle in a soccer game on July 4. “Don’t know if I was just trying a bit too hard out there or what it was. Whenever I get myself in this position, I need to get out of my own way a little bit.”

Though unhappy about faltering down the stretch in Turkey, McIlroy was upbeat about playing well in his final two tournaments of the year. Two weeks after the HSBC in China, he’ll compete in the European Tour’s flagship tilt, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, which he won in 2012 and tied with Dubuisson and Justin Rose for second in 2014.

“It’s always disappointing whenever you have a chance to win and you don’t play well enough to do that,” McIlroy said. “I’ll be going away from this tournament very disappointed with how I played today. But I’m still playing two more events this year and I feel like my game is good enough to give myself two opportunities to win again.

“It’s not all bad,” he added. “I feel like my game is in decent shape going forward. I just need to work on a couple of things and if I can get them straightened out in the next couple of weeks, I should be okay.”